Andy Warhol Films Go Digital Thanks to New MoMa Project

"It's the movies that have really been running things in America ever since they were invented," Andy Warhol once said. "They show you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, how to feel about it, and how to look how you feel about it."

The Museum of Modern Art announced today that it is embarking on an ambitious new project to digitize all of the film works of iconic pop artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol. The project is the result of a newly formed partnership between The Warhol, which is a Pittsburgh-based museum dedicated wholly to preserving the artist's legacy, and MoMA.

Warhol's films have been a part of the MoMA film archive since the early 1990s. According to a press release issued by MoMA earlier today, "Nearly 1,000 rolls of original 16mm film will be digitally scanned, frame by frame, and converted into high resolution (2K) images." The process will begin this month and take several years. Upon completion, however, the museum will be able to make approximately 500 titles, produced between 1963 and 1972, available to the public.

"There are many, many Warhol films that have either never been seen by the public or have been seen in less than ideal presentations," said Geralyn Huxley, curator of film and video at The Warhol. "It has long been my dream," she continued, "to make all of his films available to everyone, and they will be astonished by the range and vibrancy of the film work."

The digitization process will be spearheaded by the Oscar-winning VFX house MPC. Adstream, a digital asset management company, will provide the online platform that will host the digital film assets so both museums can access and share the material.